Emilia Clarke Has Joined the Han Solo Spinoff!

The Han Solo spinoff film just added some major female talent to its already promising young cast. Actress Emilia Clarke, best known as Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones, has signed on to play an undisclosed role. The young actress joins Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover, as younger versions of Han Solo and Lando Calrissian. Directing this young stellar cast are Phil Lord and Chris Miller.

I’ve noticed that Clarke gets a bad rap nowadays from the fanboy community thanks to her performance in Terminator: Genisys. I thought she gave a terrific performance as Sarah Connor, stepping into a role made iconic by Linda Hamilton. Unfortunately, her performance couldn’t save the film from being just another installment that’s mediocre at best. Since then, I’ve been worried that she may never sign on to star in another big budget franchise. However, Star Wars is not just any other franchise, but one that’s far more collaborative in creating great stories that further expand its universe, even as a far as the adventure of a singular yet memorable character like Han Solo.

I’m excited to see what kind of performance we get from Clarke under the direction of a Lord and Miller. In time, we’ll learn more of her character, including whether she’ll play the antagonist. Here’s the official press release below:

Emilia Clarke is heading to a galaxy far, far away — and she’s going to meet Han and Chewie.

StarWars.com is excited to announce that Clarke, known for her stirring portrayal of Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, will join the upcoming untitled Han Solo Star Wars movie. Clarke’s role will round out a dynamic cast of characters that Han and Chewie will encounter on their adventures.

Clarke joins Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover — previously cast as Han Solo and Lando Calrissian, respectively — in the highly-anticipated film, which is set prior to the original Star Wars trilogy.

The untitled Han Solo movie, helmed by directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, is set for release in 2018.